Oral arguments in a patient privacy case were presented to the California Supreme Court earlier this week, claiming that controlled substance prescription data collected and submitted to the state justice department should remain protected.

In Lewis v. Superior Court, S219811, California-based Dr. Alwin Carl Lewis maintains that patient privacy was violated following a government agency obtaining an individual’s prescription records without a warrant.

The case also aims to determine if the “disclosure of such data to the Medical Board of California justified by a compelling state interest.”